Whereas the Martha Stewartesque coastal grandma style was made up of flowy white linens, chic sunglasses and beachy straw hats, grandpa-core consists of kitschy knits, chunky loafers and tailored pants. Think of it as a transition from “old rich white lady” to “comfortably retired old man.”
“It’s like a Caddyshack kind of vibe,” says Dolly Python owner Gretchen Bell. “Great examples are Rodney Dangerfield, '90s Bill Cosby and their kind of clothes. They're baggy, they're kind of messy, but they’re also really not. You can tell they're kind of put together.”
Today, you can see many teens and young adults across Dallas embodying the sophisticated look of 60-year-old men who frequent the putting greens or spend their evenings smoking a pipe and reading by their library fireplace. Oversized blazers and button-up tops paired with a layered sweater vest are still very in as Dallas experiences another bout of chilly weather. The trend appears easily able to carry on into the summer, as vintage baseball caps and wristwatches also pair with season-long grandpa flair.
Though Gen Z seems to already be making this trend their own, younger generations’ obsession with older people and fashions is far from new. Grandmother-style brooches and pins were huge in the early '00s and made another resurgence in 2022. Even styles synonymous with the '80s, like fedoras and pleated skirts, were directly inspired by the covers of '40s fashion magazines owned by Gen X’s own grandparents. So while the term “eclectic grandpa” might make it seem like Gen Z is doing too much to be different, they’re simply following in their elders’ fashion footsteps.
The retro and vintage themes of grandpa-core follow a longstanding favorite pastime among Gen Z: thrifting. Over the past few months, a number of DFW-based vintage stores, ranging from The Antique Experience in Denton to 94 Vintage in Fort Worth, have seen a rise in high school- and college-age shoppers frequenting their brick-and-mortar shops. As expected with the popular trend, cardigans, wool trousers and baseball caps have been flying off the shelves of many second-hand shops. But other stores, like Lulu B’s in Dallas, have also seen younger generations interested in items beyond the clothing racks, namely old technology like vintage cameras, record players and typewriters.“With how fashion is priced nowadays, it’s kind of inevitable that we would cycle back to things that have already been worn." – Ruby Harman, Doc’s Records & Vintage
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Doc’s Records & Vintage manager Ruby Harman believes the growing interest in the grandpa aesthetic is based on the fact that elderly attire is simply what makes up most of vintage stores’ stock. Given how expensive non-fast fashion clothing has become, she says it’s much easier for people, especially young adults and teens, to afford second-hand pieces that match the old-fashioned quality they're looking for rather than newly made lookalikes on a chain store rack.
“With how fashion is priced nowadays, it’s kind of inevitable that we would cycle back to things that have already been worn,” Harman says. “And I think it’s important that not only the style, but the clothing’s price reflects that. With the popularity of thrift and vintage stores, people have just kind of taken that and run with it.”
As seen by the oversaturation of fashion “cores” that have appeared and disappeared across TikTok FYPs since 2020 (RIP Barbie-core), Gen Z is able to run through dozens of style trends in a matter of months. But what makes eclectic grandpa-core unique is its reliance on high-quality pieces that can last. Sure, you can buy a vintage-inspired fisherman’s sweater from fast fashion sites like Cider and Shein, but the rushed clothing production style of today won’t last you nearly as long as something stitched back in your grandparents’ heyday. More than just a way to emulate fashion of decades past, the eclectic grandpa look is teaching Gen Z about the importance and impact of sustainable clothing.
Appreciating Second-Hand Quality vs. Fast Fashion
This transition from online storefronts to brick and mortar shops has greatly helped a number of local second-hand vintage business owners like Rachel Grandstaff, owner and founder of Cute Little Ruin Vintage in Oak Cliff. For Grandstaff, the recent interest in old-school attire has done more than expand her customer base; it’s helped her teach new shoppers whose shoes she was once in. “I was 14 when I first got into vintage myself, so it’s extra rewarding to meet these teenagers and college students who share that same eagerness and interest I’ve had,” Grandstaff says. “So seeing people, especially kids, who grew up with fast fashion and really accelerated trend cycles looking to adopt that second-hand shopping, it's really special to be able to help them if they're not sure what they're doing, because if you look, you can see that they’re trying. ... So I really appreciate that Gen Z and those younger people are starting to appreciate the quality difference and know that it's an option.”
While many like to poke fun at Gen Z’s online “discovery” of fashion trends, Bell, like Grandstaff, also thinks it shows ongoing cycles in young people's curiosity about styles that came decades before them. If anything, fixations on grandfatherly styles of the past suggest that Gen Z is young and learning about styles and trends they’ve missed out on. Rather than trusting inauthentic online brands just waiting for the next trend, these emerging fashionistas are trying to learn about it in-person from some of the city’s best and most popular vintage shopping sources.
“It’s really just them learning, they’re retraining themselves and how they view certain clothing, certain styles,” Bell says. “That's what's so great about what I do and I love it so much because even I’ve barely tipped the iceberg with all of this fashion and history. Fashion is pretty fascinating, and I think trends like this show that that fascination isn’t going away.”
For vintage-hunting newbies, Bell mainly suggests that shoppers go into vintage stores like Dolly Python with open minds. Unlike chain clothing stores or online shops, you’ll very rarely find two things that are alike, so it’s best to have a broader picture in mind. Whether you’re trying to emulate your grandfather’s own closet or whatever style trend is up next on TikTok’s roster, the best way to put together an outfit is to make something that feels comfortably and uniquely “you.”
“With any of these trends, fashion is used as a way you can learn about yourself and put that disguise on and be somebody else,” Bell says. “And vintage is a great way to do that and recycle things back in a way that isn’t wasteful, but appreciative of other styles and history.”
